Konaha High
by Abird51
Summary: Naruto is the new kid in the prestigious Konaha High. Follow Naruto's year long journey as he finds friends, enemies. love and even himself. This is a humorous look into some dark material. Set in modern time so all characters are updated with a few personal touches. Remeber: never judge a book by it's cover. sasuxnaru
1. Chapter 1

Prologue 

The city of Konaha is a large one; it has one side shored by an ocean beach and a large park running through the middle of it. Around the park are shops, restaurants and small tea houses that sit in neat little rows and serve as beautiful attraction for tourists and well to do families alike. The grass on the laws of the beautiful and large houses is green and healthy flowers and trees surround this part of town. These upper class home owners enjoy their lovely ocean views, expensive clothes and the company of other haughty upper class home owners. This is the upper side of Konaha.

On the south side of the park, hidden behind the thick trees and quaint tea houses and shops, is the south end of Konaha, also known as "the lowers". The color of this side is grey and every shade of it. The small, sickly plants give now glow to this urban end of town. Filled with crowded apartment complexes, dive bars, garbage and lost souls. Those who are down on their luck end up in the lowers. Maybe it was a business man who lost his family to his gambling problem or a divorced mother of three just trying to get by. They are shunned from the glamour of the upper end and so a bitterness has grown. The upper end sees the people in lowers as a piece of trash lowering their property value while the men and women of the lowers see the wealth as selfish, cold hearted snakes. Both sides have their prejudices and neither are willing to budge.

Just across the street from the park is Konaha High. A large high school that only takes the gifted and wealthy. Not as selective as some of the upper class would like but selective enough that the large city must have two back up high schools for those who are not asked in. Students from the upper side, if they do not want to go to a specific trade school, are normal allowed in without much thought because of their parents power, money and the students usually high grades or sports ability. Students from the south side tend to have more trouble. The south side is twice as large, population wise, as the upper side so the elementary schools and middle schools have more students to take care of therefore many students are lost in the crowed. However, if a student has exceptional talents in academics, music or sport, they are asked to come to Konaha High. This does cause a lot of tension between the two opposing classes in the school: those who worked really hard to get where they are and those who did not. But this is the situation on the most basic level.

Our story begins in Konaha High, first day of classes:

Chapter One: Moving In

"It's definitely not the worst place we've ever lived…" Jiraiya said, shifting the box in his hands.

He and his godson stared up at the rundown apartment building they were moving into. The cars blared horns as they drove by the two men and their large trailer (which was taking up half the road). As they continued looking a piece of the rusty gutter pipe whaled as if feel from its bolts to the sidewalk in front of the stoop.

"Definitely not the best…" Naruto said as he turned his head to his Godfather, "How cheap is this place anyhow?" he asked eyeing the pipe.

"Cheap enough that I can afford some good food for a while…" Jiraiya trails off as he watches a half dressed girl strut out of the door of the building and walk down the street.

"Pervy old man." Naruto muttered as he ventured forward into the building. He took the old brass knob in his hand and pushed hard. The door creaked open slowly.

"Hey! Take some boxes in with you too! Not running a moving service here you know?" Jiraiya said as he tried to balances as many boxes as he could in his arms.

"Just going to check if there's a dead body or a meth lab up there before we try to move in." Naruto looked over to the struggling old man.

"Funny joke." Jiraiya said distractedly

_Wasn't meant to be. _Naruto sighed as he headed up the squeaky stairs to his apartment. He fished the brass key out of his pocket, unlocked the door and burst in. he expected to scare all the bugs away with his surprise entrance but the roaches just sat and stared, unimpressed.

"Oh sick! I should have guessed these things would be in this place…" Naruto looked around for a weapon but could only find an old box in the corner. A carefully walked around the unflinching boxes and made his way to the box. He tried to pick it up but failed.

"What is in this thing, bricks?" He peered into the old cardboard box "Well, I'll be damned, it was bricks!" He braced himself to pick up the heavy box and teetered over to the roaches. "Huph huuphh well, since there is only a few ways to kill roaches and I'm all out of roach-aside, guess being crushed by a box of bricks will have to do!" Naruto mused as he slowly lowered it over the bugs. "Not gunna even run?" Naruto huffed, "Better for me!" He dropped the box squarely on the roaches, crossing them flat. "You guys should be dead in a few years now haha" Naruto laughed lightly.

He suddenly felt a chill run down his spin. "We haunted too?" He called out. No answer. Naruto looked around the room he was in. It was small, no furniture and had matching dingy beige colored floors and walls. The kitchen to the left look just as bleak. The appliances were old and buzzing but seemed to be working properly. No windows. He walked through the kitchen into the two back bed rooms. They were separated by a small bathroom. Both had no furniture but one had a window covered by dusty red curtains. Curiosity struck Naruto as a padded over to the dull light.

He pulled back the curtain and smiled. The sun was setting and covered the city in washes of orange and purple. Long strands of red and pink bled in the sky. The clouds loomed blue gray over the sun, bidding it goodnight. The view of the city was amazing. He could see the park and even a glimpse of the ocean. The rest was blocked by large houses that hoarded the beauty to its eyes alone. Naruto didn't realize he was there more than a few seconds before he heard a familiar voice.

"This one is yours" He said, smiling warmly and tossing the blonde boy's locks, "I still want you to be able to find beauty in the world." Jiraiya looked into Naruto's eyes, trying to pass comfort through them.

"Thanks old man, I really appreciate it." Naruto tried to muster up the same smile but to no avail. His eyes were empty as the buzz in his head had begun to grow louder. Moving around always takes a toll on him. Jiraiya saw the hollowness in his eyes and frowned.

"Look, I know it must be hard, without your mot…" Jiraiya started but was cut off by Naruto shaking out of his grip on his hair. Naruto turned and sighed.

"The suns going down y'kno, we got start getting all those boxes in before dark so we don't get mugged or something y'kno.." Naruto turned to look over his shoulder at his godfather "There's no time for talking, y'kno. Besides the faster we get this done, the faster we can eat and I'm STARVIN'" Naruto tucked his hands behind his head and sauntered out of the apartment.

Jiraiya sighed and let go of the curtain, letting it drop over the setting sun.

All the boxes were set in piles in the rooms they would be unpacked in later. For now, the table was set in the family room behind the small coach. The tiny T.V. sat in front of the coach against the wall, perched on an old table covered in books. The fridge was stocked with sodas and milked and the cabinet full of instant meals and noodles. An empty book shelf sat in the door way as Naruto tried ot figure out a way to make it fit into the apartment.

"I think we need to dismantle it…" Naruto frowned as he called over into the kitchen.

"Why? Just turn it on its side" The old man called back.

"It's a square, y'kno!" Naruto called back angrily.

"Just come eat, well deal with it later…" Jiraiya said, setting down two bowls of instant noodles on the table. "Want milk?" He asked

Naruto rubbed his face as he sighed, "Yeah…" He hung his hands on his neck. "It won't work…shhh shhh" Naruto started mumbling.

"Come eat kid." Naruto started for the table, "Look Naruto! Bowls and glasses! We're moving up in the world!" Jiraiya mused.

"Yeah, were regular aristrocrates…" Naruto slouched in his chair, rubbing his head.

"You ok?" Jiraiya eyed him closely.

"mmhmm" Naruto sipped his milk.

They eat in silence for the most part. Jariya tried to talk a few times but was cut off by Naruto's lack of interested. His mind was elsewhere. Jariya went to the last resort as they finished up their meal.

"So," he started as he put down his chop sticks, "You ready for your first day at Konaha High? It's a real elite school by the way…" Jariya folded his hands and continued, "it's were the smartest kids in the area go if their lucky. You'll do well there I'm sure."

"If it's for the elite, how the hell did I get in?" Naruto finally looked up from his food.

Jariya smiled coolly, "The principle and I go waaaay back. So I pulled a few strings and got you in!"

"What makes you think I would want to go there?" Naruto asked, his voice rising slightly.

"Because, Naruto." Jiraiya laid his hands on the table and made his voice stern, "this school will give you a chance at a good future. You haven't had much of a chance at happiness and I just wanted to..."

"And you think I can be happy surrounded by a bunch of judgmental, self-absorbed rich kids who have no understanding of life outside their assholes?" Naruto stood up. He was shaking now, the buzzing in his head had swelled into a roar, he couldn't think. He spat anger in every word. "Who are you to decide what will make me happy? How can you possible think you can understand me and simplify my wants to something as ludicrous as a future of happiness? I was not genetically built for happiness! You should know that by now!"

Jiraiya stared up at him, folding his arms. He knew there was no way to reason with Naruto when he was like this. It was all the change, it brought back too many dark memories for him to be able to control his words.

"I just want you to have a chance." Jiraiya said matter of factually. Naruto looked down at him, eyes blazed.

"Unlike my mother, right?" Naruto said through gritted teeth. He felt the tears brimming his eyes and he stalked off to his room, slamming the door. Jiraiya winced at the noise. He knew Naruto was grateful, he had said so himself just a few days ago. He would never hold these outbursts against the blonde. Naruto never meant to hurt anyone and the guilt would only depress him more if Jiraiya tried to reprimand him. Jiraiya wouldn't even have to say anything. Naruto was a good kid, just a little unwell from time to time. Jariya cleared and washed the old wooden table before trying to drag the bookcase in himself.

Naruto laid on his bed, head whispering anger and depressed thoughts. His guilt was interwoven in his inner monologue. He didn't mean to snap at his godfather. Jiraiya was nothing but good to him, taking him in after…

"Damn it…" Naruto clenched his pillow. It's always the same train of thought after something like this. Is he losing it? What will he do next time? What if he had lost control and blacked out? Naruto dreaded the 'what if's because there were just so many. He knew he needed to stay calm and controlled if he was going to succeed this school year. Was he really thinking about attending that school? Yes, Jariya had put his neck out for him, again, so he had to at least try. Angry voices reminded him of other school house battles and dark voices whispered his inescapable approaching failures.

"Shut up!" Naruto hissed. He sat straight up in the bed and looked out the window. The early morning sun was just starting to glow yellow on the sky. The people around him just starting their day or, more likely, ending it. Naruto sighed.

_Up all night again…at least I'll have my signature bags going for my first day…_

Naruto pushed himself out of his bed and started going through one of his boxes. He pulled out an orange t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. He slipped on his clothes and padded to the bathroom. He splashed his face with water and brushed his teeth. He didn't want to look in the mirror too long or he'd turn around and go right back to bed. He had to go. To at least prove to himself that he could.

He stepped into the dark living room and eyed the empty bookshelf on the farthest wall. He walked over and picked up the light backpack. He peered inside and saw two notebooks, folders and some pens. He smiled as he caught the glimpse of a boxed lunch. He picked up the note on top of the old bookshelf.

_Have a great first day!_

_ -Jiraiya _

Naruto chuckled and tossed the note into his bag. He took a deep breath and walked over to the door, slid on his shoes and let out a long exhale.

"Well, here we go again!" Naruto squeaked open the apartment door and headed to Konaha High School.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Naruto looks past the large iron gates, over the glistening fountain water and scaned the green front lawn of the school yard. The large building, stacked of white bricks and glass, shimmered in the sun light. The large stairs lead to a grand door, closed tight, to keep out those unworthy of walking through its grandeur. Naruto sighed. The yard was empty and the door was shut. He could hear the birds chirping as his heels clicked across the cobble stone path way, up to the magnificent (yet obnoxious) door. He glanced up one last time, _"Here it goes!"_

As he pulled open the door he was greeted by the chatter of voices, the clanging of metal lockers, the giggles of school girls and the yells of excited boys through the halls. The linoleum floor shined and the lights overhead left all those walking under it looking as if they were glowing.

"Not too late, I guess…" Naruto muttered to himself as he adjusted the straps on his shoulders. He started forward and let the door fall behind him, forgetting how unnecessarily heavy it was, causing a huge slam and silencing the halls. Every eye fell onto him as the hall became deathly silent. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as his face burned red. He dropped his eyes and tried to rub the hairs on his neck down.

A light cough and a giggle broke the silence as Naruto slowly looked up with big blue eyes. He was met with snickering faces, glares and the haughty look of those who knew he did not belong there. Naruto quickly looked back down and darted forward. The whispers and the giggles followed him yet he kept his eyes on the ground. Eventually, the halls returned to their normal level of noise as Naruto made a break for the closes door he could find: the janitor's closet. He quickly closed himself in.

He heard the muffled ring of the bell signaling all the sheep in the halls to herd into their homeroom classes. Naruto's vision blurred as he tried to slow down his shallow breathing; he took deep breathes, held it…and slowly exhaled. He leaned his back against the door and sucked in a lung full of stale air and held it in his lungs until it burned.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed with the sharp release of air. He swiftly kicked the pail in front of him sending it clattering to the corner of the closet. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

"I knew it. I fucking knew I couldn't do this again…" he began rubbing his face vigorously, "No, no I promised Jiraiya I would try. I told myself I would try…" He dropped his hands and sighed. "It's just one day, I can do one day…" He readjusted his hair and turned to leave the closet.

As he poked his head out, he scanned the halls for any sign of life. Empty. He slowly emerged from the closet, noting the irony, and began to walk through the halls. The hairs stood up on his neck again as he whirled around to see nothing but empty halls. It was the same feeling as before, as if he was being watched. He shrugged off the chill and began to walk down the hall. But what was he walking toward? He furrowed his brow and slowed to a stop as he realized he had no idea where he had to go.

"_Look at your schedule, dumbass!" _ He groaned as he flipped his bag in front of him, stuck his hand inside and groped around for the paper Jiraiya had printed for him a few days prior. He pulled out the crumpled paper and tried to smooth it with his hand. _"Okay, homeroom… probably already missed that… oh wait! It's the same room as my first period class. Literature. Room 396." _Naruto nodded to himself as he started walking again. He got to the front door,again, before he realized he still had no idea where he was going.

"You look a bit lost!" A man's voice shouted down the hallway. Naruto sighed and turned to the origin of the call.

"Yeah just a bit, y'know. This school is pretty big, y'know." Naruto smiled weakly, trying to stop himself from stuttering over his words.

His smile was met by the warm eyes of a young man walking towards him. The man couldn't be more then 30 and had brown hair pulled into a pony tail on his head. He was wearing a dress shirt and Khakis with a green vest. He had a scar running across the bridge of his nose and was carrying a worn brief case.

"Hello there. My name is Iruka. May I help you find your class?" He smiled sincerely at Naruto, who was looking like a deer in headlights himself.

"Uhh y-yeah. It's room 396." Naruto said, looking up at the man. He could not help but focus on Iruka's scar. He caught himself gawking and quickly looked away.

"Ah yes, that would be Literature now wouldn't it. The professor is an old friend of mine. Come now, I'll lead you to his class room. "Iruka gestured for Naruto to follow and began walking. Naruto hesitated for a moment but quickly followed. As they made their way through the network of well decorated hallways, Naruto peered into classrooms and noticed the diligent students taking notes, the slackers sleeping in the back corner and the teachers, happily writing away on the chalk boards. He wondered about each of those students, what they must feel right now and realized anyone of them may have an impact on his life and he on theirs.

"_But most likely not",_ Naruto sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets, trying to keep on the heels of Iruka.

They finally came to a stop in front of a wooden door with a plaque next to it that read "396". Naruto peeked behind Iruka and saw a classroom full of students barely involved with whatever the teacher was reading to them.

"Here we are!" Iruka said proudly, "Why don't you head on in and introduce yourself then!"

"Uh I think I'd rather…" Naruto was cut off by Iruka opening the door himself and announcing "Hello the Professor Hatake! It seems you have a new student today!" Iruka held the door open for Naruto, gesturing for him to go inside. Naruto felt his gut turn to ice as beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. Eyes to the ground and ears burning, he shuffled into the classroom. He stood at the front of the class as he heard the door slam. _"That bastard will pay for this!" _Naruto though as he glared towards the door.

"So…would you like to introduce yourself?" A voice pulled Naruto back from his vengeful thoughts as he realized where he was. He looked to the source of the voice and found a tall, slim man with shiny gray hair looking at him. He was dressed similarly to Iruka but with a black vest and a thick black and white scarf wrapped around his neck and covering his mouth.

"It's like 70 degrees outside today, y'know." Naruto said bluntly before he could catch his words. "Isn't that scarf a little hot?" Naruto's ears burned as the word vomit continued. He heard a few small giggles from the back corner and a haughty scuff. He turned and saw three girls, one with short pink hair, one with pigtail buns on either side of her head and one with a long blonde ponytail, sitting in the back along with a very large guy eating potato chips (at 8am?!) and a guy with a broad build, spikey brown hair and an arrogant look on his face. He stared at the guy sneering at him for a second before realizing he had been standing in silence.

"Ahem." Professor Hatake cleared his throat, "This was my grandfather's scarf and I wear it to protect me from sunburn now will you please introduce yourself to the class?"

"Oh uh yeah. My name is Naruto Uzamaki and I just moved here from…Y'know it doesn't really matter much. May I go sit?" Naruto asked without really waiting for permission. He headed towards an open desk next to a young man with a spikey pony tail staring out the window sleepily. As he walked he passed a young with raven black hair that match his deep ink colored eyes. Naruto was caught off guard by the handsome angles of his face, his distant stare, the way his fingers delicate held his head. A few strands of hair fell in his face while the rest was pulled into a tight knot on the top of his head. Naruto couldn't help but stare. He wanted to be closer to this boy; to touch his flawless face, smell his smooth hair. The boy's eyes flashed up at him and Naruto felt his insides flutter as his legs turned to Jell-O as their eyes met. He was barely able to pull himself from the boys gaze as he continued to walk to the open desk. He could have sworn he saw the handsome boy smirk at him.

As the butterflies began to wear off, Naruto slumped into the desk next to the day dreaming boy. His thoughts buzzed in his head as he tried to listen to whatever the teacher was say. But he could not pay a lick of attention. His eyes stayed glued to the back of the handsome boy's head. _"Maybe this school does have its benefits." _ He thought as a smile slowly spread on his lips.

"What's so funny? You laughing at what an ass you made of yourself? Nice intro by the way" Naruto turned to the boy whispering next to him. The boy yawned and gave him a sideways glance. "I'm Shikamaru and if you want to survive here I'd watch that mouth of yours." He said closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair.

"Oh…I'm Naruto." He whispered softly before noticing the dumbfounded look on Shikamaru's face. "What?" he snapped.

"I know who you are! You just introduced yourself! Uggh what a drag…" Shikamuaru sighed as he turned his attention back to the window.

"oh sorry…" Naruto muttered as he sheepishly looked back towards the front of the classroom.

The bell tolled, signaling the change of class. Naruto smoothed out his schedule and turned to pick up his bag as he caught a glance of the handsome boy gathering his things. The boy sighed lightly and pushed a few strands of black hairs out of his dark eyes. He had a narrow waist and a type of grace about him that captured Naruto's attention. He found himself staring as he fumbled to sling his backpack over his shoulder and follow the handsome boys back up the row of desks. Suddenly he felt a wet wad smack his cheek and he quickly whipped off the spit ball and turned to the laughing kid with the brown hair and arrogant look. Naruto glared at him and the small crowed around him giggling. The pudgy one looked almost ashamed but Naruto knew it wouldn't make a difference. He felt his face flush as the arrogant kid chuckled with his friends and heard the word "loser" being used. He wanted to escape the room as quickly as he could, before he exploded or melted down. He made a bee line for the classroom door. He felt a bump as he fled towards his escape.

"Hey, watch it." A distant voice, smooth as silk with a hint of annoyance, called after him. But Naruto could barely register the voice before pushing into the flow of students in the hallways.

"_Back to square one…" _Naruto thought as he bit his lip to hold back the tears. Flashes of bullies and his mom screaming. He felt chest tighten. _"Shit. Shit. Shit. Not here. Not now. Fuck, where is my next class?" _ He held his schedule in clenched fists and tried to read it through the blurred spots in his vision. He smacked into a tall man and a breathy "Sorry!" slipped form his lips as he looked up to see none other than Iruka standing before him.

"It's you!" Naruto said, feeling his breath returning and a fire in his belly spark. "How could you leave me in the room like that, y'know? Who even does that?" Naruto felt his voice crack as he tried to fight back tears. These past few hours had been filled with so much emotion that he actually felt comfort in seeing those warm brown eyes again. The comfort was mixed with the anger and embarrassment from just an hour ago. What was this guy's problem anyway?

"Oh hello there again! Let's take a look, ah it seems you have math next! In room 345. That's right down the hall. And the class after that is…history! That is basically two rooms to the left of your math class. After that be sure to ask the teacher where your next class is." Iruka smiled as he saw the information flow in one of the blonde boy's ears and out the other. He chuckled to himself and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. He jumped at the touch of this basic stranger. Feeling his body tense he clutched his paper even tighter.

"You will make it through today! This will be the worst of it, the first day is always the hardest."

And with that, Iruka smiled and walked away. Naruto, a little stunned and overwhelmed with directions, noticed the hallway crowed had thinned and quickly tried to remember Iruka's directions. He walked down the hall, took a left, realized he had gone the wrong way, back tracked, panicked a little as he thought of walking into a class late again and found his class before the second bell rang. He scuttled to the back of the classroom and slumped in the first empty desk he could find. The professor introduced himself, Mr. Orochi-something or other, and began to hand out emergency contact information cards. _"Favorite date spot…? What is this?" _ Naruto furrowed his brow as he looked up at the strange pale man with long black hair. Naruto could have sworn he saw him wink at him. Chills ran up and down his spine. _"Gross."_

The rest of the day continued in a roller coaster of emotions, introductions, stares, whispers and encounters with Iruka. Naruto attended his chemistry class and was partnered with the pink haired snarky girl from Literature class. In history he introduced himself and was greeted with a shy smile of a girl with pretty eyes and long black hair. She was shy and her chubby friend (eating more potato chips!) from Literature class introduced her and himself. Her name was Hinata and she had a bad habit of blushing. His name was Choji and he told Naruto the rude boy from Literature was named Kiba. _"Kiba, hu? You are now on my every growing shit list,Kiba." _ Hinata mentioned the existence of a gardening club and offered to bring Naruto to a meeting sometime. Lunch came around and the handsome boy was there; looking at him made Naruto's heart speed up. He had such deep eyes. There is something about him, but Naruto could not put his finger on it. Kiba was in lunch as well, with his posse of rich, obnoxious kids and had Hinata tucked under his arm. Typical. Good girls always love bad guys. Naruto ate alone that day, just trying to keep his mind quiet. During gym, he had to run laps after asking the gym teacher why he had such an odd way of speaking. There was a young lad who looked very similar to the teacher and happily ran laps around Naruto while also trying to cheer him on. A long bus ride to the bus station on the outskirts of the uppers and the walk home was a blur as the energy Naruto used up to get through the day finally caught up with him. He staggered up to his apartment and wearily keyed in. The lights were out and Naruto noticed a note on the table.

**Have a headache. Went to sleep. Be sure to eat dinner!**

**Hope you had a good first day!**

**Jiraya.**

"_Asleep at 3pm? Must be a bad one." _Naruto sighed as he dropped his bag on the floor. He dragged himself into the kitchen and poured a glass of milk. Chugged it. His body was shaking and he felt his head spinning. All the emotions, the stress, the anxiety of the day was finally crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. He hadn't experienced this much excitement since he got into a fist fight at his last school. He made his way to his bedroom. He dropped on to his bed with a heavy sigh. He watched as the dust specks danced in the sunlight from the window. His eye lids grew heavy as the buzz in his mind grew louder. The last image he had was of the handsome boy and his dark eyes. What handsome eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first week of school flew by in a blur. Naruto attended class, tried to stay under the radar,and came home to share a dinner table with Jirayia. That night, his godfather decided to try to cook.

"What's burning?" Naruto poked his head out of his door.

"Nothing! I'm not use to this stove yet, give me a break!" Jirayia shot back, scowling down at the salmon simmering in the frying pan. He sighed and turned to Naruto, who was shaking his head.

"Hehe you can't blame the stove in every place we move to,y'know," Naruto smiled, "besides who is supposed to teach me how to cook if you can't figure it out."

"Hey, at least I attempt to feed you nutritious meals after a long day of writing! If you wanna learn that bad, get over here and try it yourself!" Jirayia placed his hands on his hips and motioned toward the stove with his chin.

"Ehhhhhhhh maybe…what's in the oven?" Naruto asked trying to peer over his godfather's shoulders

"I uh, didn't think I had something in the oven still…" Jirayia trailed off as he turned to the plums of smoke bellowing out of the oven. "OH SHIT! POTATOS!"

Naruto opened the window in his room and rushed over, news paper in hand, to the middle of the room and searched for the smoke detector.

"Arghh, where's the damn smoke detector?! I don't want to have to explain your shit cooking to our neighbors and the fire department!"

"Little preoccupied, kid!" Jirayia yelled, trying to wave away the smoke before turning off the oven. He opened the door and was greeted by the hot breathe and smoke of the angry oven. "Oh god! Not the face, not the face!" He stuck his gloved hands into the oven and pulled out a pan filled with little blackened balls, still smoking and simmering hot. Jirayia placed the pan on the stove and began mumbling to himself about adding spices. He quickly turned off the stove and looked at his fish as his lips drew a line across his weathered face.

"Jirayia…" Naruto called across the room, "I don't think we have a smoke detector in this apartment…" He frowned as his godfather began to laugh lightly. Jirayai's laugh grew louder and began to fill the room, echoing from corner to corner. Naruto cocked a brow as Jirayia wiped a tear from his eye.

"Should I be worried…?" Naruto slowly padded over to the giddy old man.

"Hey,hehe, hey Naruto." Jirayia began through giggles. "Check it out! Now we got…" He looked Naruto dead in the eye and smiled, "now we got SMOKED salmon!" He quickly grabbed and held up the pan of fish and peels of laughter once again filled the room. Naruto frowned at his godfather.

"Really?" Naruto smiled. The laughter was contagious and Naruto felt the giggles begin to bubble up to his lips. He couldn't fight it, he too began to fill the room with a bright laugh. The walls vibrated with joy from the most ridiculous of puns. Both wiped away tears from laughter and potato smoke; they smiled up at each other and Naruto gentle punched Jirayia's arm.

"You're a loser, y'know?" They both giggled and looked towards their food.

"Well, I'll toss these here and you put the fish onto the plates. You want rice?" Jirayia sighed as he turned toward Naruto.

"Sounds good, don't burn down the house this time okay?" Naruto joked, taking out two plates and two sets of utensils. He placed them gently on the table then moved toward the stove for the fish. "We don't wanna lose our deposit or anything."

Jirayia caught Naruto by the shoulders before he could head back to the table. Naruto looked up to him with his bright blue eyes and awkwardly smiled towards his godfather.

"Uh yes?" Naruto shifted under his godfather's grip. Jirayia smiled warmly; moments like this made up for all the tears, the long nights, the loss of sleep, and the screams of harsh words. Jirayia felt all his unspoken regrets, emotions toward his godson, and all the words he wanted to any for so many years all jumble behind his lips. Too much to say yet no way to start, he simply patted Naruto shoulders and said;

"Just wanted to make sure your eyebrows were still here!" Jirayia's smiled turned cheesy as Naruto shrugged him off and walked toward the table. Jirayia placed a bowl of precooked rice in the microwave before turning to Naruto, "Hey, make sure you give each of us the same amount! Don't try to make me eat it all!"

The scent of burnt potato filled his nostrils and the soft snores of his godfather filled his ears. The blanket was scratchy and he could feel every fiber of it on his skin; the pale light of the early morning filtered in through the dusty blinds. Naruto knew he couldn't go on like this; he was trapped in the feeling anxiety, his mind running at a million mile a second, flashes of memories, ideas, and fears. The want to scrape of his skin and cry uncontrollably but also the want to run around the block and scream. The roller coaster in his gut churned with adrenaline and anxious butterflies. Soon he'll will fall into the dark blue again, the grey, and be sleeping more then he could ever need.

He sucked in air and pulled the image of the handsome man to his mind. If it was meant to calm him, it had the opposite effect. His heart pumped harder. He needed to know the boy's name. Sure, he hadn't spoken a word to him nor did Naruto believe he ever had a chance with him, yet all he wanted was to know everything about that raven haired boy. He decided to start with finding out his name.

His stomach churned as his phone began to chirp, alerting him to the start of a new day.

Naruto settled into the seat next to Shikamaru, who was leaned back and drowsing in his seat. The bell rang, jarring Shikamaru from his slumber and Naruto chucked as he watched him regain balance of his chair.

"Chech, what's so funny." Shikamaru scoffed. Naruto shook his head. "Man, whatever."

Professor Hatake cleared is throat and picked up the chalk. He turned to the board and wrote several author's names on the board.

"What do these people all have in common" he faced the blank stares and silence of thirty faces. Naruto avoid eye contact with the professor, a tactic that normally worked, however, on this day, it lead to his down fall. He had not been called upon once by Hatake, a man who would generally wait in awkward silence until someone tried to answer. Professor Hatake sighed and narrowed his eyes, pointing his laser vision directly at Naruto.

"Mr. Uzumaki," Hatake started, Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as his mind went blank with panic. "Do you happen to know the answer?"

Naruto's face lost its color as his hands went cold and sweaty; he hated being put on the spot, he could never function under stress. He felt eyes begin to fall on him as Hatake waited for his answer.

"Well?" The ticking of the second dragged on, for eternity, making every second agonizing. Most eyes were on him now as he began to sputter for an answer ; of course he had no idea, could he just say that? Would everyone mock him for his stupidity. Should he guess something? Would any answer do or would Hatake know he was guessing and call him on his bullshit. People were beginning to whisper, it was like he could feel their eyes crawling across his skin.

"I..uhh..I" Naruto started, feeling as if his mouth was filled with molasses. The handsome boy threw a look over his should as Naruto's voice echoed through the silent room. The color ran back into his face much to fast, his face burned and his head spun with embarrassment. "They have..uhh.."

"Oh geez, such a drag. They're all writers from the enlightenment in Europe, Hatake. Let's move on already." Shikamaru said lazily, punctuating every sentence with a deep sigh.

"Thanks but I'm positive that you are not Uzumaki Naruto," Professor Hatake said turning to Naruto, "but you are correct, who ever you may be." He turned to the board and began to talk of the time period of growth and enlightenment in Europe, and the writings that came from it. Naruto was finally able to breathe, his face returned to normal yet is hands continued to shake. He turned to Shikamaru, who turned just his eyes in Naruto's direction. Naruto swallowed and mouthed a "Thanks" toward Shikamaru. Shikamaru closed his eyes, sighed, and turned to Naruto. He whispered," Next time just say 'I dunno' or something…you looked like you were going to die." He paused and pursed his lips, "And you're welcome. Just stop acting like a loser, okay?" Naruto nodded and forced a smile. Shikamaru turned his gaze back towards the ceiling while Naruto continued to scan him over. Who is this guy? He doesn't seem to give a damn but he knows his stuff…not such a bad guy to keep around?

Naruto gently pushed air out of his nostrils as he turned toward to board and began to take notes.

The bell rang, cutting off Hatake's lecture, "Well, read chapter four in the text book and answer the questions at the end. Be prepared for a quiz!"

The class began to gather their things and head towards the door, Naruto slowly closed his notebook and looked over towards Shikamaru who was fast asleep at his desk. Naruto smiled softly, turned to watch the students leave the class and caught eyes with the raven haired boy. Five solid seconds passed as Naruto felt as his breathe pulled from him. The raven hair boy smiled, shifted his bag on his shoulder, turned his back and walked out of the felt his stomach flutter as his head spun with the interaction. He turned to Shikamaru and shook his shoulder, "Hey, Shikamaru class is over,y'know."

With a stretch and a yawn, Shikamaru pulled himself from his seat. "Thanks", he said sleepily. Naruto looked back towards the door and then to Shikamaru, who was eyeing Naruto skeptically.

"Hey uh…" Naruto started, but lowered his eyes before he could finish, the residual scare of before still vibrated in his bones.

"Spit it out, I got class on the other side of the building." Shikamaru said with grumpy frown.

"Who is that guy?" Naruto said as they started walking towards the door with Shikamaru.

"Who? That's real vague." Shikamaru and Naruto's attention was caught by Professor Hatake clearing his throat. They both turned to face him leaning on the desk.

"Mr. Nara, thank you for that save during class, I was sick of the silent stares today." He nodded toward Shikamaru, who responded with a grunt. "And Mr. Uzumaki," Hatake started as he looked into Naruto's blue eyes. Naruto could feel the the bubbles of anxiety in his stomach start again under the man's grey gaze. "…work on what ever that was that happened today, would you?" Naruto nodded and turned to Shikamaru as they walked out of the room.

Naruto sighed as he entered the flood of students in the hallways. Shikamaru didn't even turn to Naruto as he restated his question.

"Who are you talking about?" He asked in a louder voice, trying to pierce the sounds of the hall.

"Oh uh, the guy with black hair, he sits two seats ahead of me." Naruto yelled over the hustle of the crowed. Shikamaru turned toward him and chuckled at his unnecessary volume change.

"Him? All I know is his name is Uchiha, Sasuke. He's stupid smart but also kind of an ass about it. Doesn't say much though." Shikamaru and Naruto fell into stride with each other as they glided through the crowds. It was nice to walk next to someone in the halls, it felt almost normal.

"Oh okay. He just seemed like a…" Shikamaru cut him off with a chuckle.

"No one knows much about him, he's a bit of a loner. I'm surprised it took you this long to ask about him. You just sit and stare at the back of his head during class. Maybe if you listen to Hatake instead I won't have to save your ass again." He turned, mulled over a thought and turned to Naruto with a smile, "I get it thought, that class is such a drag." Shikamaru nodded to Naruto and dipped into a classroom without a word. Naruto stopped in his tracks and realized he was nowhere near his classroom; he had followed Shikamaru across the school but it was worth it. He knew the handsome boy's name now: Sasuke Uchiha. He smiled to himself, turned on his heels, and walked back towards his next period class

"Naruto!" Hinata popped in front of Naruto as the bell tolled, her long black hair framed her face and flowed with the breeze she created from her quick movement. He blinked in surprise, she basically leaped at him with excitement sparkling in her eyes. Naruto heard Choji chuckle but kept his focus on Hinata.

"Naruto! You said you would think about joining the gardening club." She quickly realized how close she was to his face and lowered her eyes as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Did you think about it?" She finished shyly. Naruto felt his lips crack into a smile, she was pretty cute, all embarrassed, but she just wasn't his type. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the girl, who backed up to a normal distance.

"Well, I mean..." Hinata quickly looked up, disappointment filled her features, sending a pang of pain into Naruto's heat. He felt his eyebrows furrow as he bit his lip. Did he really have a choice?

"What times are the meetings?" He sighed a smile as Hinata's face light up; she clasps her hands in front of her rather busty chest and beamed up at Naruto.

"We meet Friday after school in the greenhouse on the third floor! We have all the tools and plants too!" She smiled at her own redundant statement and Naruto smiled back. It was only Tuesday so if he needed to avoid this commitment, he could think up a reason by then. But could he really stand to see Hinata's sad face again? Probably not.

"Alright, I won't have to bring my own watering can then?" Hinata shook her head as Choji placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you there then!" Naruto said with a smile as Choji pulled her, waving, out of the door.

Naruto always found that tending plants gave him a feeling of calmness;; caring for a little fern kept his mind focused. Even when he was feeling blue, he could just manage to get out of bed to water his plants. His mom had been the same way, which was a sentiment Naruto could not decide was comforting or terrifying. Friday did come, classes ended, and as students began to leave for home, Naruto made his way to the third floor green house to be greeted by a smiling Hinata. She showed him their supplies, the clippings, the seeds, and introduced him to the other members and each plant by name. She left him to trim a spider plant and place the babies in small bowls of water to grow on their own. Naruto did not lose his smile the entire time. He went again the week after.

The weekend went by without much incident; Jirayia spent most of the weekend writing on his laptop or in bed, rarely leaving his room. Naruto spent time at the kitchen table doing homework, often venturing out into the neighborhood to escape the musty smell of the apartment. He also cleaned out the fridge and scrubbed the bathroom floor at 3 a.m on Saturday night. This was the longest time he's has gone without crashing and he was not looking forward to when he does. Monday morning came and Naruto quickly drank a glass of milk, splashed his face, and headed out without checking of his godfather. He walked quickly, trying not to be late.

Swerving around students gossiping on the stairs, pushing past those ornate doors, and walked, head down, through the halls to his English class. He sat, greeted a sleepy Shikamaru, ad took notes, hands shaking. His attention went in and out of Hatake's lecture; he would try to pay attention to the board, yet he always caught himself stuck on the back of the head of Sasuke Uchiha. As the bell rang, he looked down at his notes and noticed they had trailed off into nothing but 'Sasuke Uchiha' across the page. Oh geez, what is this? Fuck me. He sighed and collected his things quickly; his eyes latched back onto the raven haired boy and before he could stop, he blindly followed him out the door. Close on his tail he heard a distant call in his direction. He couldn't pull himself away from the back of Sasuke Uchiha and followed him out the door.

"Hey I'm fucking talking to you!" Naruto heard a rough voice in his ear as a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him out of his day dreams. " Naruto lost his balance and caught himself on the lockers,dropping his notebook and textbook on the ground. A semicircle of students formed around them, this must be a regular happening, like a habit. The students looked on in excitement as Naruto bent to collet his things. A large foot stomped down on his hand. Naruto let out a yelp and whipped his head up to face his attacker. It was the meat head from English class.

Kiba stared down at him, clenched teeth with a bit of foam at the corner of his lips, with anger in his face. His eyes held the stare of that of a predator, finally getting his prey. Naruto felt rage build in his chest, his pulse hammered in his head. What the fuck did I do to you?

Naruto clenched his teeth as Kiba's face contorted into a smile. He presses down on Naruto hands before releasing him. Naruto jumps to his feet and stares him dead in the eye, his chest tight with fire red anger. His fingers itched to punch and claw, he felt his body ready itself for another battle.

"I hear you've been messing with my girl." Kiba barks at him, wiping his mouth, "I know you're new around here, and weird as fuck. And judging from your ability to talk your borderline challenged. But I don't give a fuck." His face darkens and he moves toward Naruto until they were nose to nose. Naruto felt his hands start to shake but he was not about to lose his ground to this waste of space. Kiba's breathe reeked of morning breakfast and garbage, Naruto crinkled his nose. "No one. Flirts. With my girl." Naruto blinked away the dragon breath and realized this was something to do with Hinata.

"All right, shit breath, how about I get you some mouth wash and we can start this again later. I don't want your girl. But I can't see whatever she does in a fucking dick head like you." Naruto felt the heat radiate off of Kiba and pushed him out of his space. Kiba let out what sounded like a growl and pulled back his fist to fight.

Bring it on prick! Naruto moved out of the way as Kiba's fist smashed into the lockers. The crowed began to cheer and chant Kiba's name, they yelled heckles and Naruto could swear he saw a teary eyed Hinata in the crowed being held back by that pink haired girl. Kiba's fist found Naruto's gut as Naruto bent forward from pain, drool spilling from his mouth. Naruto quickly grabbed Kiba's brown, greasy hair and brought his face down to his upcoming knee. Kiba resisted, making the knee to the face less impactful. Kiba grabbed Naruto's shirt and threw him to the ground, forgetting Naruto still had hold of his hair. They both tumbled down in a mess of loose left paper, tangled fists and searching kicks. Kiba got the upper hand a went straight for Naruto's face. Naruto had enough reflex to quickly block his face with his arms. Kiba threw punch after punch trying to break Naruto's barrier. Naruto felt his anger swell, he wanted to kill this kid, rip out his throat and scratch out his eyes, rip his hair from the bloody roots and kick his stomach until his insides bleed out. He felt a yell break through his lips as he throws Kiba off of him. They both grapple to their feet using their knees and the lockers. Before they could lounge at each other again, Hatake and the green track suit wearing gym teacher pulled them apart. Naruto felt an arm holding him back as he continued to swing and kick and fight against the force that held him pinned against the locker. He growled and felt his chest heaving with burning breathes.

"Stop. You don't want to hurt me, Naruto." For a second Naruto though it was Jirayia speaking to him. He held his breath and looked into the eyes of the person who pinned him. It was Professor Hatake. He let out his breathe. You idiot, you told him this time would be different. You promised you would try. What are you doing?

"Fighting is strictly prohibited at this school. We pride ourselves on our refinement and well mannered students. If you two can't handle yourselves here, you will be asked to leave." The principle finally glanced up at the two young men standing in front of her desk. Her eyes drove lasers into Naruto and Kiba.

Rumors surrounded this principle; she was unbelievably young looking with unusually large breasts. She had been at that school for at least twenty years, yet a wrinkle never creased her flawless skin. Of course, everyone simply assumed she had an ungodly amount of work done on her face and the sheer size of her breasts did not help with those rumors. Yet she was respected by the entire city; she ran the school with an iron fist and help the institution gain its prestigious status. Every student feared her temper and tried their best to stay on her good side; the punishments were served swiftly and always tended to leave a mark, emotionally and/or physically. Naruto and Kiba had already received the customary smack on the head with a rolled up paper. Naruto couldn't help but feel intimated by her, strong women seemed to always be able to create a sense of deep fear in his gut. Maybe it was a byproduct of being raised by a single mom. Didn't seem to matter now.

"But Principle Tsunade," Kiba started but was swiftly cut off by Tsunade waving his protest away.

"Both of you are at fault. I don't wanna hear you try to talk you're way into the right." Tsunade sighed and turned her gaze to Naruto who had been silent the entire time. "You will both be sent to detention after school today and not allowed to leave until you complete an essay about why you are being punished. Do you understand?" The question was for both of the young men but her gaze had not left Naruto. He nodded quickly and mumbled a 'yes'. Tsunade nodded and signed a few pieces of paper before releasing them back to class. "I am hoping you two can handle yourselves until then. Be aware I will be contacting your parents." As Naruto turned to leave he felt a wicked smile spread across his face. Lemme know if you get ahold of them lady. Kiba turned to see the strange smile on Naruto's face and glared.

"You fucking psycho." He spat through gritted teeth, eyeing Naruto. He turned and fast walked down the hall toward whatever class he had next. Naruto sighed and headed to the bathroom. He took stock of his face and gut, only a few small welts that would turn into bruises. Nothing he couldn't cover up from his godfather. Though what was really the point? They would be calling Jirayia soon and will mostly likely blame Naruto, that's how it always was. The new kid has to prove themselves innocent while the student that had been there for years was assumed to be at no fault. He looked into his own eyes and wondered what Jirayia was going to say to him. He felt so disappointed in himself; the memories of the fight constantly flashed behind his eyes, screams of the crowed,Kiba's face, yet what scared him the most was the anger he had felt. That rage terrified him. But it was so hard to control in situations like that. He could have killed that kid and not even have batted an eye until a,t least a few days after. Naruto was getting a headache, the buzzing was starting again and Naruto could feel the crash coming. Back to square one, just get through today. Take it a day at a time. That's all I can do. Jirayia will understand.

The green track suit clad gym instructor leaned on the wall in the front of the mostly empty classroom. Kiba sat in the back row, arms folded and scowling in Naruto's direction. The track coach had a bowl cut of back hair and a rather cartoonish looking face structure, like pop-eye or a fake handsome man. He had perfectly white teeth and an overly important way of talking. He instructed them to write an easy about "how to never waste their youth with silly fights and detention. " Naruto found him eccentric yet was drawn to his warm personality. He stared down at the blank paper in front of him, picked up his pen, and started to write. It wasn't connected and did not make sense as he wrote, but he just wanted to be done. He continued to scribble on the page until he noticed a presences much closer to him then before. He turned to the left: nothing. He slowly turned his head to the right and there he from his face was the gym coach, smelling of mint and smiling a bright smile.

"You have a fresh face! What is your name?" The couch winked and smiled a bright, tooth filled smile.

"I'm Uzamaki Naruto. I just moved here last month with my uh…" Why was he telling him all this? Change the subject before I spewed more word vomit, "Who are you anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Me? Well I'm the gym instructor and track coach, volunteer detention holder, and supporter of all these youthful students. I am coach Guy! I see you are almost finished with your essay." He looked down at Naruto's paper and eyed the scribbles on the page.

Naruto put down the pen and looked at his page. "I don't really know what I'm writing about here, y'know? I'm not such a great writer." Naruto nervously laughed and glanced back up to guy. Guy smiled and picked up the paper and began to read before Naruto could protest.

"Hmmm what do you think you mean by 'youth can be lost in so many ways, even stolen without our consent, why waste what we have on those who could never appreciate their own gifts'?" Guy furrowed his thick brows and looked into the deep sea of Naruto's eyes.

"Y'know, hearing it out loud…it doesn't sound that right." Naruto started. "But I think I was trying to say that not everyone has the same type of , y'know, advantages or youth or whatever, and, y'know, we shouldn't waste what we have when we can use it for more important things. Like I shouldn't fight with other students because it may ruin the opportunity I have here, right?" Naruto finished with a question, not sure he was interpreting his own words correctly. Guy mulled over everything he heard and Naruto could almost see the cogs in his head spinning. Guy placed the paper down on the desk and stood. He walked over to the desk in front of the classroom and signed a piece of paper. Turning back to Naruto, he smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Feel free to collect your things and go, you got everything you need out of this!" Naruto looked up to the man with a blank stare. What was this guy talking about? Am I done?

As if reading his mind, Guy continued, "You are done with this detention session! I'll see you at gym tomorrow! Think about joining the track team, you'll meet some great youthful students!" With another smile and a thumbs up Guy headed to talk to Kiba. Naruto, a little stunned, collected his things and walked down the aisles of desks, past the death glares of Kiba, and out the door.

The next bus would not arrive for at least a half an hour so Naruto decided to sit on the grass outside the building. He laid on the ground and watched the clouds. He felt himself start to finally feel tired but he could't sleep here. The white puffs glided gracefully across the blue sky. He wondered what it would be like to be a cloud. A carefree, soft little puff of air, just living its life. He lost himself in daydreams. A car pulled up in front of the school and Naruto heard the large door open and close. His eyes turned toward the car and saw Kiba getting in. He heard distant arguing as the car motor started up and drove away. Naruto sighed, I suppose every house has their own battles. Not my problem though. Naruto slowly got up to catch the bus; dirty and slow the bus crawled to a stop a few block from his apartment complex. The sun painted the dirty streets and broken windows in golden orange. Naruto opened the door to the apartment building and took the stairs two at a time to his door. It was dark and quiet when he entered the room. Jirayia must be sleeping. Again. Whatever I wasn't hungry anyway. I'll talk to him later, I guess. Naruto splashed his face with water in the kitchen sink, stripped off his shirt and pants, and jumped into bed. As his eyelids closed, he breathing finally slowed, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day came and went and by the middle of the week, Naruto had only had to deal with minimal confrontation. Glares from Kiba's friends, some spit balls, and other general high school bully clichés. It made Naruto wonder what caused Kiba to act so insecure; Naruto learned from Jirayia a long time ago that some of the reason that people try to take down others is to lift themselves up. Maybe they did it because of their own issues, their own challenges, and fights they cannot handle. Naruto tried to never hold it against anyone, those long nights of anger and nausea never did anyone any good. Yet he also didn't think those bullies should be allowed off Scott-free.

By Thursday, Kiba was sick of being ignored and Naruto soon found himself pinned to a wall behind the school after classes ended. Kiba was smiling and his friends stood behind him; Naruto didn't recognize the boys behind but didn't really care. I just wanna be left alone, why does this happen everywhere I go? Can they tell I'm different? Do I have 'fuck up' written on my forehead?

Kiba pushed Naruto harder against the wall and said something about missing football practice because of him. Naruto wasn't really listening. His blood was rushing through his ears and the anger was clouding his mind. Maybe if he just knocked this douche out he wouldn't have to deal with him again. But has that work before? Not really. Ignoring him didn't seem to work but what was left to do then? Stuck between jail time and a whiny football players fist I guess…

"You listening, fucking idiot, I couldn't play because of you! My coach and team were furious! And you think you can just get away with this?" Kiba growled and began to pull back his fist.

Well, my face will heal…eventually… Naruto held his breath and braced for impact. But it never came. He looked up and saw a tall figure holding onto Kiba's fist with one hand.

"Boys, I didn't think fight club was happening behind the school. How about we put this energy into something more productive. Like soup kitchens or clothing crack babies or doing your homework even!" Iruka chuckled and he released Kiba's hand. He gave the boy a look and nodded him to leave, Kiba quickly turned and nailed Naruto in the gut before breaking into a run towards the buses. Iruka groaned and Naruto curled into a ball on the ground, dizzy and drooling. "That kid really is the worst, hu?" Iruka said, smiling awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Naruto coughed and slowly sat against the wall, "he's a really stinker or something." As he continued coughing and whipping away drool, Iruka plotted down next to him with a sigh.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I should have stopped him or even been here sooner. That's my fault,kid." Iruka looked at Naruto with sincerity in his eyes. Naruto couldn't help but smile. This man blamed himself for Kiba's shittiness? That was new. Usually people layer the blame on the bully or the one getting pinned to the wall, schools didn't take the blame onto themselves/often enough.

"Yeah, well maybe next time don't let go of him till you give me a ten second head start…" Naruto smiled weakly.

Iruka chuckled, "You'll need more then ten seconds, he's a star running back!" They both laughed lightly. "But I would really hope this won't happen again…can't promise it though."

"You can't control an ass sometimes, y'know?" Naruto said sadly, slowly realizing he didn't really know anything about this guy he was being so candid with. "Hey, who are you anyway?" Naruto furrowed his brows and looked up towards this mysterious man.

Iruka smiled warmly, "You know me! We had introductions almost three weeks ago…oh you mean like who am I here?" Naruto nodded a yes. "Okay, *ahem*, my name is Dr. Umino, but you can call me Iruka. I'm a psycologist and work as the student councilor here!" He out stretched his hands towards Naruto, who slowly took it as he processed this new information. All the excitement had made his brain foggy. Iruka continued, "I would really like it if we could set up a time to chat. You might not think you need to but I would like to get to know you." Iruka released Naruto's hand and smiled again. Another therapist, hu? Another type A know it all. I don't need more talks about my feelings, my past, or my fucked up brain. Talking doesn't make what happened okay…and I don't want the 'crazy' label I know is waiting for me. Thanks but no thanks. Seems like a cool guy through. But I just…his thoughts trailed off. He shook his head as if shaking out the noise and got up.

"Uh I'll think about it…thanks for the kinda sorta save. See ya around." Naruto half waved to Iruka and turned to walk away.

"Have a good day!" Naruto turned to see a smiling and waving Iruka still seated on the ground. Naruto smiled lightly to himself. This school is full of such odd people.

"Do we need to talk about this again?" Jirayia finally said after a solid twenty minutes of silent eating. He had finally left his room since the week before and cooked cup ramen for both of them.

Naruto had spent most of the evening meal stirring his bowl of rice pasta and wishing he was sleeping. When he felt blue, he didn't eat much and just wanted to sleep. His brain was fuzzy and he shook his head to answer his godfather.

"Naruto look at me and answer, please." Jirayia said in a stern voice. Naruto slowly raised his head and was surprised to see the worn tired face staring back at him. All he does is sleep, why does he look so horrible? Naruto's stomach churned

"I said no." Naruto said quietly. "I was defending myself. The principle didn't give us a chance to explain what happened." Naruto retuned his gaze to his food.

Jirayia put down his chop sticks and sighed, "I though you were getting involved and we're going to try to do well. Maybe be able to actually graduate this year? I don't know what else to give you. I can call and try to get you back to the doctors…" Naruto's ears had turned red causing Jirayia to trail off.

"It wasn't my fault. Don't you fucking blame me too." Naruto said through gritted teeth. He was so tired. "Besides doctors are for sick people and I'm fine. Maybe look in the mirror, you look like death, y'know. How about you drag your tired ass to the doctor instead." He quickly stood up and cleared his place. The silence hung awkwardly in the air.

"Not hungry?" Jirayia said in a soft voice. He didn't bother raising his head as the sink water stopped. Naruto walked past quickly throwing a 'no' over his shoulder as he went to his room and closed the door. Jirayia rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. He cleaned the kitchen and went into his own room as well.

He heard the faint whimpers of his god son later in the night and slowly got out of bed. He walked quietly towards Naruto's door and listened in. He heard mumbling and soft whimpers. He gently opened the door and saw Naruto curled up on the bed,sweating and lost in nightmares. He sighed and walked to the kitchen to wet a small towel. He returned to Naruto's side and started to wipe his forehead with the warm cloth. Naruto slowly rose form his dreams and looked toward his godfather. His eyes were dull and glazed over, somewhere between dreams and reality. Jirayia smiled wearily and continued to wipe his head.

"I'm sorry,Jirayia. I didn't mean to be rude." Naruto whispered in a raspy voice. Jirayia shook his head and shh'ed the boy. All he wanted was to be there for Naruto and he hadn't been. He was always sleeping. He decided to find a doctor tomorrow. For both of them.

A/N: nice long chapter! Hope you enjoy! Btw the ~ mean moving forward in time, in case anyone was confused! :)


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